Mail-bag delivering and receiving apparatus.



I. V. PISTER. MAILBAG DELIVERING AND REUEIVING APPARATUS.

7 APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1908. 91 8, 1 36.

Patented Apr. 13; 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES A TTORNE Y6 c. n15 mmms PETER5 co.. WASHINGTON, n

IGNATIUS V. FISTER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

MAIL-BAG DELIVERING AND RECEIVING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Application filed September 10, 1908. Serial No. 452A03.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IGNATIUS V. FIsrER, a

subject of the Emperor of Austria-l-lungary,

and consists of a certain peculiar swinging crane carried by the mail-car, and of a booth of special construction situated at the railroad station where the transfer of mail matter is to be made, the construction and arrangement being such that said train delivers a mail-bag carried thereby to said booth and receives from the latter another mail bag, all as hereinafter set forth.

The objects of my invention are, first, to produce an apparatus, of the class specified above, which is positive and reliable in action, simple in construction and operation, and capable of handling mail receptacles without injury to the same, and, second, to provide an apparatus for depositing such a receptacle where it is readily accessible, and

, for taking up or receiving a receptacle from a 1point which is also readily accessible, in 0t ier words, the incoming mail is left in a place where it can be easily obtained by the coal clerk or carrier, and the place where he.

leaves the outgoing mail is as easily reached by him. I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus as it appears when all parts are in operative position and the transfer of mail-bags is about to be made, the apparatus being viewed from a position in front of what may be assumed to be an approaching train; Fig. 2, a plan view of the cam-plate and. of the outer end of the plunger in operative relation thereto; Fig. 3, a longitudinal, vertt cal section through the booth shown in the first view, taken parallel with and looking from the track; Fig. 4, an interior view of that part of a mail-car which appears in Fig. 1, showing the crane, in partial section, swung inward against one side thereof; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the latch for the crane, on the outside of the car; Fig. 6, a detail view of the receiving hook, and, Fig. 7, an enlarged detail showing the way in which the cord is attached to the mail-bag in order to adapt the same to the purposes of my invention.

The apparatus herein shown and described in detail is capable of handling mail from one side of a car traveling in one direcj tion only, but it will be plainly seen that, by i the mere duplication of some or all of the 1 parts, the same invention will handle mail from one side of a car while traveling in either direction, or from either side of a car traveling in either direction.

In Figs. l and 5, I represent a portion of the floor 1 and a portion of one side 2 of a mail car. A crane, which is supported by the floor 1 and the side 2 adjacent to the doorway in said side, is described as follows: Rotatably mounted in a socket 3 and a bracket 4 is an upright or post 5 from which extends a horizontal arm 6. The socket 3, which supports the post 5 at the base, is fastened to the iioor 1, and the bracket 4, which supports the top of said post, is fastened to the side-2. The parts 8, 1 and 5 must be so constructed and positioned as not to interfere with the closing of the car door when the crane is inside. Secured on the exterior of the side 2 is a block 7 recessed in its front end at S and provided on top with a spring latch 9 which extends down part way over the recess 8. The inner edge of the recess 8 is in line with the adjacent edge 10 of the door opening, and the arrangement of parts is such that, when the arm 6 is swung outward, as shown in. Fig. 1, said arm enters said recess and is there held by the latch 9 which snaps down in front of the arm after the latter passes under the latch. The arm 6 now stands at right-angles to the side 2, with one side of said arm against the edge 10 and the inner edge of the recess 8. The block 7 assists in supporting the arm 6, when in this position, from below. Before swinging the arm 6 out of engagement with the block 7, it is first necessary to raise the latch 9, in the usual mannor, to release said arm.

Depending from the arm 6, at the forward or free terminal thereof, is a lug 11 and back of. this lug is a similar lug 12. Behind the lug 12 is a third lug 13 which depends from the arm 6. Said lugs are all perforated to receive a plunger 14 which is mounted to reciprocate therein. lhe plunger 14 is provided with a head 15 which is located in the lug 12, a finger 16 which extends forward or outward from said head beneath said plunger, a sto lug 17 on top in front of the head, and a tai piece 18 which has its rearorinner end inserted in the lug 13. The plunger 14 projects some distance beyond the lug 11 and the free end of the arm 6, and its outer end is preferably equipped with a horizontal roll 19. A roller 20 is suitably mounted in the lug 11 to afford an anti-friction bearing for the plunger 14, and above this roller and the plunger is a stop 21 which lies in the path of the stop lug 17 and so limits the outward or forward movement of said plunger, since said stop 21 is in front of said lug 17 A spiralspring 22 encircles the tailpiece 18 between the head 15 and the lug 13 and normally forces the plunger 14 forward with its lug17 in contact with the stop 21. 'While the plunger is in this position the finger 1 6 bridges the space between the lugs 11 and 12 and furnishes means for securely holding a cord 23 of a mail bag, pouch, sack, or other receptacle.

A snap-hook 24 is securely attached to the arm 6 between the lugs 12 and 13 on the side of said arm which is in front when the arm is swung outward into operative position. The spring of the hook 24 is represented at 25.

A part of a mail-bag is represented at 26, and the cord 23 which is endless passes through one end of such bag on both sides, the portions of such cord that are in the'bag being substantially parallel with each other, and the portions outside being in the form of loops, as best shown in Fig. 7. This arrangement of the cord 23 is an important feature of my invention, since it affords convenient means for supporting the mail-bag 26 in the two different positions necessary to the successful and complete operation of my apparatus, as will be presently explained.

At each station along the railroad where the exchange of mail is to be made, or where mail is to be left or taken up, a booth 27 is provided for the reception of the incoming mail and for the presentation of the outgoing mail. In the end of the booth 27 which is next to the approaching car is a large opening 28, below which is a door 29, and in the opposite end is a smaller opening 30. Two brackets 31 project from the booth 27, one on each side of the opening 30. Mounted on thebooth above theback side or the farther side from thetrack and standing parallel with the latter is a cam-plate 32 having its ends curved rearward as best shown in Fig. 2.

33 represents the roof of the booth, and 3434 represent two wings extended outward from the end which supports the brackets 31, to protect the mail-bag suspended from said brackets.

The booth 27 should have a perforated floor, as shown at 35 in Fig. 3, to provide for the escape of any water that may find its way into the same. Access to the interior of the booth, for the purpose of removing the mail-bag after it has been dropped onto the floor 35, is gained through the opening 28 when the door 29 is open.

In practice, while the crane is within the car, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the plunger 14 is forced backward against the pressure of the spring 22, the ends of the loops of the cord 23 of the mail-bag 26 to be delivered are in serted in the space between the lugs 11 and 12, and said plunger is released to said spring when it moves forward again and carries the finger 16 through such loops. The arm 6 is now'swung outward into engagement with the block 7 and latch 9, the mail-bag hanging therefrom as illustrated in Fig; 1. Meanwhile, the cord 23 of the mail-bag 26 which is to be taken up is drawn out to form a large loop and this loop is hung on the brackets 31 with the horizontal part of such loop extending across the opening 30, as illustrated also in Fig. 1.

With the parts arranged as just described,

the car rapidly passes the booth 27 and carries the crane over the same, but below the roof 33. As the plunger 14 passes over the booth it encounters with its roll 19 the nearer curved terminal of the cam-plate 32, is forced inward against the resiliency of the spring 22, carries the finger 16 from beneath the engaging cord 23, and permits the mail bag to which said cord is attached and which has entered the booth 27 through the open ing 28 to drop into said booth. This operation and its result are due to the fact that the inward movement imparted to the plunger 14 by the cam-plate 32 is equal to or greater than the length of the finger 16. The plunger then rides off of the opposite curved terminal of the cam-plate without undue shock or Immediately after the first mail-bag is thus disposed of the snaphook 24 passes through the opening 30, engages the cord 23 on the brackets 31, sweeps it off of said brackets, and goes on, the sec ond mail-bag then being thereby suspended from the arm 6. Said arm is now released from the latch 9 and swung into the car with the attached mail-bag. In this manner the mail is transferred at one station after another, an exchange being made or merely a delivery'or collection taking place, as may be necessary.

' Minor changes in matters of detail and alterations in size and shape may be made in my apparatus without departing from the nature of'my invention. Inthis connection it is to be noted that the roll 19 and the roller 20 might be omitted.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

1. The combination, in an apparatus of the class specified, with a suitably supported cam-plate parallel with the track, of a horizontal arm adapted to be supported by a car and to be swung outward at right-angles to a side thereof, and a spring-pressed plunger carried by said arm in parallel relation thereto and provided with securing means for a mail receptacle, said plunger being arranged to contact with said cam-plate, when said arm is outwardly disposed, and to be actuated inward thereby to open said receptacle securing means.

The combination, in an apparatus of the class specified, with a suitably supported cam-plate parallel with the track, of a hori zontal arm adapted to be supported by a car and to be swung outward at right-angles to a side thereof, a latch to hold such arm when thus swung outward, and a spring-pressed plunger carried by said arm in parallel relation thereto and provided with securing means for a mail receptacle, said plunger being arranged to contact with said camplate, when said arm is outwardly disposed, and to be actuated inward thereby to open said receptacle securing means.

3. The combination, in an apparatus of the class specified, with a booth provided with a cam-plate and with brackets to support a mail receptacle, of an arm adapted to be supported by a car, a spring-pressed plunger carried by such arm and provided with securing means for a mail receptacle, and a hook also carried by such arm, the arrangement of parts being such that said plunger is actuated against its spring by said cam-plate to open said receptacle securing means and that said hook is carried by said arm between said brackets.

4. A crane, for an apparatus of the class described, comprising an arm provided with lugs, a plunger mounted in said lugs to reciprocate and spring-pressed outwardly, said plunger extending beyond said arm, means to limit the movement of such plunger in such direction, and a finger carried by said plunger intermediate of its ends, said finger operating in and between two of said lugs.

5. A crane, for an apparatus of the class described, comprising an arm provided with supporting lugs and with a stop, a plunger mounted in said lugs to reciprocate and spring-pressed outwardly, and a stop lug and a finger carried by said plunger intermediate of its ends, said stop being in the path of said stop lug to limit the movement of such plunger in the direction in which it is actuated or tensioned by its spring, and said finger operating in and between two of said supporting lugs.

6. A crane, for an apparatus of the class described, comprising an arm provided with lugs, a plunger having a head, a finger and a tail-piece mounted in said lugs, said finger extending outward and said tail-piece extending inward from said head, a'spring between one of said lugs and said head, and means to limit the movement of said plunger in the direction of the force of said spring.

7. A crane, for an apparatus of the class described, comprising an arm provided with lugs, a plunger mounted in said lugs to reciprocate, a suitably mounted roller under said plunger to assist in supporting the same, and a finger carried by such plunger intermediate of its ends, said finger operating in and between two of said lugs.

8. A crane, for an apparatus of the class described, comprising a swinging arm, a spring-pressed reciprocating plunger carried by such arm, such plunger affording means for holding and releasing a mail receptacle,

and a snap-hook, for a mail receptacle, also carried by such arm.

9. The combination, in an apparatus of the class specified, with a recessed block pro vided with a spring latch, of an arm mounted to swing and to enter the recess in said block and be engaged by said latch.

IGNATIUS V. FISTER. lVitnesses:

A. C. FAIRBANKS, F. A. CUTTER. 

